Monday, November 7, 2011
Though some councilors represent only one district and others the whole city, they all share responsibilities.
Boston City Council consists of four members who represent the whole city and nine who represent different districts. Each position comes with difficult tasks. District councilors must know every local issue and. At-large councilors criss-cross the city, trying to appeal to everyone. But there’s a “tremendous overlap” in their responsibilities, as District 6 Councilor Matt O’Malley put it. In short, being one type of councilor or the other isn’t as clear-cut as it seems. Creating today’s City Council When legislators rewrote the city’s charter in 1909, they created a City Council composed of nine at-large councilors. But in 1981, Bostonians voted to divide the city into nine districts, each represented by a councilor, said O’Malley, who …
Friday, November 4, 2011
Seven candidates are running for four At-Large City Council seats, but will you be voting on November 8th?
Vote Charlestown tells us that, in the last local election, only 1,607 out of the 10,747 registered voters in Charlestown actually voted. That's barely 10% of Charlestown's voters. Voter turnout was also light for the City Council primaries, according to the Boston Globe, but those elections were for seats outside The Town. Patch readers, are you going to vote in November 8th elections and drag your neighbors along as well? Or do you prefer to stand aside at election time? Let us know in the comments why you've made your decision, especially if you know you're not going to vote. We want to know what's keeping Townies from the polls!
The at-large city council race is the only contested race Charlestown voters will see on the ballot next week.
Compared to other districts around the city, Charlestown's got a very short ballot this coming Election Day. This Tuesday is strictly a municipal election and the only contested race Charlestown voters will have a stake in is the the At-Large City Council race. Charlestown's (District 1) representative on the council -- Sal LaMattina from East Boston -- is running unopposed. Four at-large seats are available on the council. All four incumbents are running alongside three challengers this year. The candidates are as follows. (They'll appear in this order on the ballot.) Learn about the candidates and their positions on schools, gambling, non-profit expansion and the BRA in this Patch article about a candidates forum. You can learn more …
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
More than 100 people turned out to see the seven candidates for council-at-large seats discuss neighborhood issues at a forum on Beacon Hill Monday.
The seven candidates for the four councilor-at-large seats up for grabs Nov. 8 answered questions on a number of neighborhood issues at a Monday night forum at Park Street School, moderated by Peter Nessen. Below is an shortened version of their answers. Note: The following are not direct quotes unless they are in quotation marks. What makes you stand out from the other candidates? Stephen Murphy (incumbent, current president of city council): I bring a wealth of experience in business and finance. I will focus on increasing revenue over next three years. Ayanna Pressley (incumbent): I've brought a different perspective, working on eradicating poverty and cycles of violence; I've advocated for women and girls, including issues of teen …
Vote Charlestown
12:45 pm on Friday, November 4, 2011
not to put any one out but for the 5 who voted no so far why not... If you need absentee ballots. If you are going to be away or might be away, you can request an absentee ballot until noon the day before the election. Just fill out the attached form and mail it to Election Department Boston City Hall One City Hall Square Boston, MA 02201 Vote Charlestown will also have copies this Sunday and … more ›